Lamp mount positioning device



June 1, 1954 P. VARGO ETAL 2,679,918

LAMP MOUNT POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Nov. 50, 1951 InvenfL-OT'S: Paul, Vavgo, Thomas. A. Fosfber', JYY

Then- Aft'tovne.

Patented June I, 1954 UNITED ST rArsNr OFFICE LAMP MOUN'E` P'OSITIONING DEVICE Application November 30, 1951, Serial No. 259,158

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing electric incandescent lamps, discharge devices and other similar electrical devices, and more particularly to means for assisting in the loading and positioning of stems and mounts in apparatus of that type. Such sterns and mounts comprise a vitreous stem tube as the main support body thereof and having metal lead-in wires sealed therethrough for supporting the filament or other electrical element of the electrical device.

Heretofore difficulty has been experienced in loading stems and mounts into manufacturing apparatus where the lead-in wires must occupy a definite predetermned position or orientation in the apparatus. The feeding operation is made diiiicult by the relatively low strength of the lead-in wires in that the use of mount relocating means often results in said lead-in wires being bent out of place rather than said mount being relocated. When a filament or other electrical element is mounted on the lead-in wires, still more care must be exercised to avoid damaging said element.

Accordingly, one object of our invention is to provide a device in combination with the work carrying heads of manufacturing apparatus which will aid in loading stems cr mounts into said heads at high speeds without bending or deforming the lead-in wires, and which will fix the position of the stems or mounts so that the lead-in wires are arranged at definite positions in said apparatus.

Another object of our invention is to provide means for accurately positioning a stem or mount during the loading thereof in manufacturing apparatus, which means is capable of orienting said stem or mount to a position where the leadin wires thereof are in a definite plane with respect to said apparatus. Said means comprises a magnet located at a specific position within the manufacturing apparatus and adapted to attract the lead-in wires of a stem or mount pre- 'sented to one face thereof during the loading operation to hold the mount in a definite relationship to the magnet and to other elements of the apparatus.

The use of stem and mount positioning means in accordance with our invention makes certain that the lead-in wires of said stem and mount will register properly with the various elements of the manufacturing apparatus and, accordingly, contributes to successful operation of the entire manufacturing apparatus. Thepositioning means also eliminates any rebending operations that would ordinarily be required tO fiX the iii position of the lead-in wires in the manufacturing apparatus and avoids the difiiculties of Sue-- cessfully bending said wires without damage thereto or to the vitreous stem. In instances when the stem and mount is carried to various Sections of the manufacturing apparatus by a carrier or conveyor, the positioning device also allows said stem and mount to be loaded with less difficulty and greater speed and reduces to a great extent damage thereto during the overall leading operation. The latter advantage is of particular importance in the manufacture of the more complex mounts where the mount is being introduced into apparatus for a final operation, as for instance the mounting of a second filament, and is of still further importance in that in said final operation, the second filament will then -be mounted at definite relation to the first without considerable difficulty.

Still other objects and advantages of our invention will appear from the following description of species thereof and from the drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a mount positioning means comprising our invention in its operative association with one of the work carrying heads of a filament mounting machine and with a properly arranged incandescent lamp mount retained by said machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of said mount positioning means in its associated relation to the filament mounting machine and a mount; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the magnet of the positioning means, a head of the mounting machine and a mount, on an enlarged scale and in a direction offset from Pig; 1; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified magnet and mount.

The species of our invention shown in Figs. 1-3 of the drawing provides a permanent magnet I at the loading station of an indexed turrct type carrier 2 for advancing an incandescent lamp mount 3 to the various elements (not shown) of a filament mounting machine. The magnet I is preferably made from a strongly magnetic aluminum-nickel-cobalt alloy in horse shoe form with the pole pieces represented by the end faces li and 5 thereof and is arranged at a position permitting faces and 5 to attract and hold two of the four ferro-magnetic nickel leadin wires 6, 1, 8, and 9 of said mount 3 at the time of its introduction into a head lil of the carrier 2. Other parts of the mount 3 comprise the vitreous stem tube H which is sealed about intermediate portions of the lead-in wires 6, 1, 8, and 9 and which forms the main support body thereof, the vitreous exhaust tube |2 and the coiled filament IS which is connected between the cnds of the lead-in wires 6 and l.

The apparatus functions first when a head IB of the mounting machine is advanced to the loading station by one of the regularly occurring indexing movements of the carrier 2, and the mount 3 is being inserted into said head I. At that time, an operator inserts the mount 3 between, and in the axis A-A of, the open holder jaws Il and I of the head II) with the mount in a tilted position and the lead-in wires 8 and 'I foremost so that they are brought within the flux field of the magnet I and are puiled into place by the attraction of said magnet i for said leadin wires 6 and 7. The operator retains control over the mount 5 during the loading operation, by holding the exhaust tube I2, and he guides the stem tube II and the exhaust tube E2 between the jaws Ii and I and the end slot in positioning plate IB of the head II). The force of the magnet I continues to pull on the lead-in wires 8 and 'I throughout the loading operation and finally causes said wires 6 and 'I to seat tightly against the flat faces 4 and 5 of the pole pieces thereof. Finally, the operator pulls the mount 3 downward until the fiared lower end of the stem tube II seats upon the top surface of the positioning plate IB. In this manner, the pairs of lead-in wires E-' and 8-9 are oriented in predetermined planes relative to the Vertical axis of the jaws I 4, IE inasmuch as the faces ii and 5 bear a predetermined angular relationship to said axis.

Subsequent Operations of the mounting machine provide for the jaws III and IE to close upon and grip the stem tube I2, and the magnet l to be raised away from operative relation to the head IQ, so that the lead-in wires 5 and 'I are not rubbed across the face of said magnet I in the subsequently occurring indexing movements of the head IQ. The faces 4 and 5 of the magnet I may be shaped to conform to the curvature of the path of movement of the mount 3 and the head w, and the magnet I may then be allowed to remain at a fixed position throughout the operation of the mounting machine. In such case it is preferred that the jaws Id and I of the head IQ be so shaped as to tilt the mount 3 very slightly away from the magnet I so that the lead-in wires 6 and 'I are out of direct contact With said magnet faces 4 and 5, or that the leadin wires B and l be made so stiff as to resist bending when drawn across the face of said magnet I.

The magnet i is attached by a brass screw IQ i to a mounting block I'I of an essentially nonmagnetic material carried by a rod I8. This assembly is moved vertically by an arm '2G attaohed to a slide 2I within the standard 22. Operating means including the cam 23 and the lever 24 provide for the actuation of the arm 2D and slide 2| in timed relation to the movements of the heads IO of the filament mounting machine in that the cam 23 is turned at the rate of one revolution per index of the carrier 2 and heads I!! by the main drive shaft 25 of the mounting machine. The lever 24 is operated about a pivot screw 26 in bracket 2'! extending from the stationary frame 28 of the machine in accordanoe with the variations in shape of the portions of the cam 23 engaged by the roller 29, and transfers its motion through the link 30 to the lower end of the slide 2 I. A spring 3| connected between posts on the frame 28 and the lever 24 keep said lever' 24 biased toward the cam 23. The downward movement of the magnet I which positions it at operative relation to the head IO in the succeeding cycle of operation occurs With a further rotation of the cam 23 When the head IO is being advanced to the loading station.

Means are also provided for protecting the operator and the apparatus from possible injury and damage during the downward movement of the magnet I. This means appears in the pivot 32 for the outer end 33 of the arm 20 which pivot 32 allows said end 33 and the magnet to swing up should be operator's fingers or some material be improperly positioned between the head IO and the magnet I.

It is also apparent that a modified form of the magnet I, as for instancc the electro magnet I' in Fig. 4, could be used in the apparatus and that the Operating face thereof must have a different form when used with certain mount forms. The modified magnet I' appearing in Fig. 4 has an inclined face 3d for engaging a correspondingly inclined lead-in Wire 6' of a mount 3' and an offset face 35 for engaging a second leadin Wire l. The faces 3d and 35 are shaped a second lead-in Wire 'I'. The faces 34 and 35 are shaped on an end of the magnet I' representing one magnetic pole thereof and exert a relatively strong pulling force on said lead-in wires 6' and 'I' inasmuch as said magnet I' is under the magnetic influence of an electric current passing through a coil 36 about the midportion thereof. The magnet I' is clamped in a cross slot in the non-magnetic mounting block Il' by the tabs 3? held by screws 38.

It will be understood that while only two of the many useful forms of the invention have been shown and described in detail, the specific construction and arrangement of the various elements, including the magnet, may be modified within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. The combination with apparatus of the class described and comprising a rotatable indexing cari'ier having thereon a plurality of holders comprising jaws adapted to grip the stem of a mount assembly having lead-in wires of magnetic material extending therefrom, and means to index said carrier to bring' the holders successively to a loading station with the said jaws open to receive a stem, of a magnet, and means mounting said magnet at said leading station adjacent to a holder thereat and with a face thereof bearing a definite predetermined orientation with respect to the axis of said holder so that a mount' resented to said holder will have its lead-in wires attracted to the said face of the magnet' and thereby oriented to a predetermined position in said holder, and means for closing the jaws of' said holder upon the stem prior to indexing of the holder away from said leading station.

2. The combination with apparatus of the class' described and comprising a rotatable indexing carrier having thereon a plurality of holders comprising jaws adapted to grip the stem of a mount assem'oly having lead-in wires of magnetic material extending therefrom, and means to index said carrier to bring the holders successively to a loading station with the said jaws open to receive a stem, of a magnet, and means mounting said magnet at said loading station adjacent to a holder thereat and with both poles thereof in a common plane and defining a face located in' a plant Substantially parallel to and bearing af definite predetermined orientation with respect to the axis of said holder so that a mount presented to said holder will have its lead-in wires attracted to the said face of the magnet and thereby oriented to a predetermined position in said holder, and means for closing the jaws of said holder upon the stem prior to indexing of the holder away from said loading station.

3. The combination with apparatus of the class described and comprising a rotatable indexing carrier having thereon a plurality of holders comprising jaws adapted to grip the stem of a mount assembly having lead-in wires of magnetic material extending therefrom, and means to index said carrier to bring the holders successively to a loading station with the said jaws open to receive a stem, of a magnet having a face with offset portions, and means mounting said magnet at said loading station adjacent to a holder thereat and with the face thereof bearing a definite predetermined orientation with respect to the axis of said holder so that a mount presented to said holder will have its lead-in wires attracted to respective offset portions of the said face of the magnet and thereby oriented to a predetermined position in said holder, and means for closing the jaws of said holder upon the stem prior to indexing of the holder away from said loading station.

4. The combination with apparatus of the class descrbed and comprising a rotatable indexing carrier having thereon a plurality of heads each including a holder comprising jaws adapted to grip the stem of a mount assembly having lead-in wires of magnetic material extending therefrom, and means to index said carrier to bring the holders successively to a loading station with the said jaws open to receive a stem, of a magnet, and means mounting said magnet at said loading station occupied by said heads with a face of the magnet bearing a definite predetermined orientation with respect to the axis of a holder at said station so that a mount presented to said holder Will have its lead-in wires attracted to the said face of the magnet and thereby oriented to a predetermined position in said holder, said magnet face having a curvature conforming to that of the path of movement of said holders, and means for closing the jaws of said holder upon the stem prior to indexing of the holder away from said loading station.

5. The combination with apparatus of the class described and comprising a rotatable indexing carrier having thereon a plurality of heads each including a holder comprising jaws adapted to grip the stem of a mount assembly having lead-in wires of magnetic material extending therefrom, and means to index said carrier to bring the holders successively to a loading station with the jaws open to receive a stem, of a magnet, and means mounting said magnet at said loading station occupied by said heads with a face of the magnet bearing a definite predetermined orientation With respect to the axis of a holder at said station so that a mount presented to said holder will have its lead-in wires attracted to the said face of the magnet and thereby oriented to a predetermined position in said holder, means for closing the jaws of said holder upon the stem prior to indexing of the holder away from said loading station and means for moving said magnet away from and into operative relation to the head at said loading station in synchronism with the indexing of said carrier.

6. The combination with apparatus of the class described and comprising a rotatable indexing carrier having thereon a plurality of heads each including a holder comprising jaws adapted to grip the stem of a vertically disposed mount having station with the said jaws open to receive' a stem, of a magnet, means mounting the magnet above a holder at said loading station with a vertical face of the magnet bearing a definite predetermined orientation with respect to the vertical aXis of the holder so that a mount presented to said holder will have its lead-in wires attracted to said face of the magnet and thereby oriented to a predetermined position in the holder, means for closing the jaws of said holder upon the stem prior to indexing of the holder away from said loading station and means for lifting the magnet to a retracted position out of the path of movement of the mount in synchronism with the indexing of said carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 963,234 Marshall July 5, 1910 2,079,893 Bain et al May 11, 1937 2,425,127 Schafer Aug. 5, 1947 

